There have been proposed various tape cassettes and tape printers comprising a tape cassette that accommodates a long lengths of tape, a tape transferring device for transferring the tape, and a printing device for printing on the tape, the tape printer, to which the tape cassette is mounted in a removable manner.
For example, there is provided a tape cassette used for a tape printer, comprising: a cassette case body, a cover member to be engaged with the upper side of the cassette case body by a first engaging device; a tape-judging member arranged in a predetermined position in the tape cassette, the tape judging member which is provided with a tape-identifying section which, in cooperation with a sensor device arranged in the tape printer, identifies the type of the tape accommodated in the tape cassette; and a second engaging device for fixing the tape-judging member in the tape cassette. Further, in the such a cassette, the tape judging member is arranged so that it can be attached in accordance with the type of the tape in the tape cassette. (For example, see Patent Document 1.)
In a tape cassette having such a structure, when a used tape cassette body and a cover member are de-engaged to reuse the tape cassette by replacing the tape therein, it is possible to identify the type of the replaced tape in the tape cassette by fixing with the second engaging device the tape judging member in accordance with the type of the tape. It thus becomes possible to use the cassette case body and the cover member in common for various tapes, and at the same time number of parts or recycling cost can be reduced.
Patent Document 1: Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2000-103131 (Paragraphs [0027] to [0080], FIGS. 1 to 14)